Trump should apologize to heroic POWs

Now that we know that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump will be trying to exploit the Rolling Thunder veterans rally in Washington during Memorial Day weekend, gracing the rally with a personal appearance preceded by significant public relations to alert the media of his presence, it is a fitting moment to suggest Trump use this moment to offer a full apology to heroic American prisoners of war (POWs).

{mosads}I would also suggest that the media professionals covering the event — who often treat Trump more like groupies at an Elvis Presley concert than professional journalists — directly ask Trump whether he is willing to recant, retract and apologize for his insult of American POWs earlier in the campaign.

Trump famously denied that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the great American war heroes, was a war hero. He mocked McCain and other POWs by saying he “like[s] people who weren’t captured.”

Personally, I consider that comment by Trump to be among the most reprehensible words ever spoken by any candidate running to be president and commander in chief of the military. Imagine a commander in chief who looks with disfavor on American POWs because they were captured by our enemy while they were serving courageously serving our country!

If Trump seeks to exploit a Memorial Day rally of vets for political reasons, he should be held to account by everyone in the media who covers Trump at this rally. They should ask him, “Yes or no, do you retract your insult of POWs? Yes or no, do you apologize for what you said and recognize that you were totally wrong in saying you like those who were not captured? Yes or no, do you consider Sen. McCain and all others who were taken prison by enemies of America to be among our country’s great heroes?”

There are other issues that can be raised about Trump’s personal history with the military, but I will ignore them today except to say that he has his freedom because McCain and others like him risked their lives for our country, and to defend Trump’s right to insult POWs and my right to call him out on it.

Perhaps Trump can pay a visit to the World War II Memorial, and if he does, reporters can ask him if he still believes that NATO is obsolete. Does he still offer praise for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, and value Putin’s praise for him? No doubt the vets at the rally and voters across the nation would be interested to know whether Trump will praise Putin on Memorial Day weekend.

Serious journalists who cover his attendance at a veterans rally have an obligation to voters, to veterans and to all who were POWs to ask Trump directly whether he still prefers troops who were never captured to those who were.

Americans who serve our country believe in the time-honored tradition that we leave nobody behind. Voters choosing a commander in chief while our troops remain in harm’s way have a right to know whether a potential commander in chief will leave nobody behind, honor our POWs, will never stop fighting for their escape or release, and will never insult them by saying he “like[s] people who weren’t captured.”

Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Chief Deputy Majority Whip Bill Alexander (D-Ark.). He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. Contact him at brentbbi@webtv.net.